Jason Momoa has admitted that he was blown away when he read the finale of Game of Thrones.

Momoa's character Khal Drogo became the latest major character to be killed off in the fantasy drama, following Sean Bean's exit in the penultimate episode. Fans who hadn't read George R.R. Martin's Ice and Fire books were surprised by both characters' exits from the programme.

Speaking about his own reaction at the end of Martin's first book, Momoa told EW: "I was reading it and I was like: 'Holy s**t! F**k, I'm dead!'

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

"When I read that Khal Drogo role, I was blown away. I couldn't believe it was happening, I had to have that role. I was like, 'Nobody is going to take that role from me'."

Momoa also urged fans disappointed by his departure to stick with the show into the second season.

"It's amazing what [George R.R. Martin] sets up," he said. "Here's your lead characters, you're supposed to think about them one way, and you hate them, then you love them, and then they're killed and it's a whirlwind of emotion.

"All the little kids and even the smallest of characters just grow and grow and grow. He built a beautiful world. I'm bummed I'm not going back. To play Khal Drogo was phenomenal."

Game of Thrones' second season will air in spring 2012 on HBO. The season one finale airs in the UK at 9pm tonight on HBO.